My sixth year is when I end my years of solitude and made friends with my roommates and a few other choice charaters. No more eating alone. No more quiet Saturday nights. Who knew life would be so interesting? Scratch that who knew it could be so fun?

I woke up the next morning to the sounds of Anna singing badly in the shower while Dom yelled through her toothpaste filled mouth at Anna to shut up. I heard Kate squeal and a crash, meaning she slipped on something and is now sprawled across the floor. Followed closely by Polly’s laugh.

Everything sounded the same, but everything felt different.

Isa groaned from her bed. She rolled lazily and grabbed her wand from her nightstand. She rolled over a little more until she landed heavily on her back on the hard floor.

“You alright Isa?” Kate asked pushing herself up. She sat upright on the floor and wiggled her skirt on still sitting.

“Never better,” Isa said waving her wand. Her uniform lined itself up next to Isa on the floor, and slowly she pulled it on. Isa sat up and leaned against her bed while she tied her shoes.

“Almost!” Anna called from the bathroom. She hopped out on one foot, tugging on her shoe on the other, and with her hair still dripping wet. With a wave of her wand both her shoes were tied and her hair dried. “Let’s go.”

The five of them descended the stairs. The common room was quiet, not many people in there besides people waiting for their friends in the opposite dormitory.

“Looks like either the guys have gone down, or are still asleep,” Kate said. They exchanged looks. “Ok so they’re definitely upstairs. Who wants to go up there?”

It was silent.

“Oh come on,” Kate whined.

More silence.

“Fine, bloody bitches,” Kate mumbled under her breath before stomping off. Dom laughed and skipped out of the common room.

“Shouldn’t we wait for her?” Isa asked.

“No,” Anna said as they followed Dom into the corridor.

“She can find her way by herself,” Polly said. “She’s a big girl.”

They walked down and into the Great Hall where the breakfast spread was out and looked delicious. They settled down in their seats and were only there for a few minutes until Kate and their sleepy companions joined them.

“’Morning,” Pierce yawned before sitting down next Polly. He planted a kiss lightly on her head and then shoveled eggs onto his plate.

“Yea yea,” Freddie said dismissing Dom with a wave of his hand. “We’re here now aren’t we?”

“Only after I woke you up,” Kate said with her mouth full of food and pointing her fork at Freddie.

“Hey Kate,” Charlie said sitting down next to Isa. Kate looked at him with a slight anger in her eyes. “You have to chew then swallow. Don’t spray us with you food.”

Kate glared at him. “I didn’t get my food on you, Charles,” she snapped. “If I did it wouldn’t be an accident.”

“What are you implying Reedly?” Last names?

“I’m implying,” Kate said emphasizing the second word, “that given the chance, I would love to pour pumpkin juice all over your mess of a head.” Are they fighting? Kate and Charlie never fight. They’re best friends. They tease, but never fight.

Maybe they’re joking. It doesn’t sound like that though.

“Mess of a head?” Charlie said angrily. “I don’t have a mess of a head.”

“Oh you do,” Kate said harshly narrowing her eyes. “Didn’t you look in a mirror this morning?”

“I didn’t have time because you literally dragged me out of my dormitory,” Charlie snarled at her.

“I wouldn’t have to drag you if you weren’t so bloody lazy Turner!” Kate screeched.

“What,” Dom said interrupting them, “is going on?”

Kate took one last look at Charlie and then turned away. “Nothing,” she said harshly under her breath.

“Hey,” said James coming up to the table. He sounded out of breath as though he was just running.

“See Glennie this morning?” Anna said.

“Yea,” James said sitting next to Charlie.

“For a quick snog with your girlfriend?” Anna asked.

“Err—”

“Because you know that’s totally fine,” Anna said looking innocent. “It’s fine for you to snog her. She is your girlfriend after all.”

“Yea seriously,” Kate said sounding like she was taking his side but her voice was full of sarcasm. “You have to make sure she is happy because she is so freaking important,” she said sounding a little angry, but covering it up as nonchalance.

“James, you’re my cousin and I love you, and I am here to tell you that no one is more important that Glennie,” Dom said holding her hand out and covering James’. James snatched it away from under Dom’s grip. He looked at the girls with a bemused expression.

“That’s right!” Polly said swallowing some water. “Glennie could do something like, I don’t know, lock someone in a cupboard for practically a half a day, but she should still be numero uno in your life.”

“I get it,” James said holding up his hand so they would stop. But they didn’t.

“And let’s just say this person she locks just happens to be your best friend, no!” Anna said. “Glennie is more important because you get to shag her.”

“I guess,” she said as they walked out into the hallway. “Not like she will.”

“Oh she won’t” Anna said. “She’s about as honest as Peeves.” Isa laughed.

“About as nice as the Bloody Baron,” Isa said smiling.

“About as much personality as The Grey Lady,” Anna said as they continued aimlessly down the corridor. Anna sat down on a bench and Isa relaxed beside her. Isa rested her elbows on the windowsill behind them and stretched out her legs. Isa laughed and nodded.

“A little more violent than The Grey lady though,” Isa said.

Anna nodded. “So true. Oh hello James.” James came up to them breathing heavily again, but this time he had actually been running.

“I need to talk to Isa,” he said breathlessly. “Alone.” He sounded desperate. He sounded sad. My heart clinched slightly when I heard him this way. I like James, he really was one of my best friends, and I hated hearing him this way.

Anna looked nervously over at Isa who was sitting straight up now with her legs tucked neatly under the bench. “Sure,” Anna said slowly looking for any sign from Isa that it was a bad idea. When she saw none, Anna walked away from the bench and settled down the corridor.

“Er—” James said. “Can I sit?”

“By all means,” Isa said. James sat down. He sat slouched in his seat. He rubbed his hands nervously and looked down at the ground.

“Listen Isa,” he started. “About yesterday. I said some stupid things that I don’t mean at all. I’m really sorry.” James looked up at Isa. Isa looked at him with cloudy eyes and a curious expression. “I say the stupidest shit sometimes.”

“Yea you do,” Isa said with a slight smile on her face. Isa quickly removed the smile from her face. Smiling at him is the worst thing to do. Although I’m not horrendously angry with him, I don’t want him believing that I’m peachy keen with him.

I want to be ok with him, but he has to realize what his relationship with Glennie is doing to us.

Glennie had warned me to stay away from him, and I don’t. I really don’t. But how can I still talk to James without her finding out? I can’t. I can’t talk to him without her finding out; she has her ways of finding out. I know she does.

“I don’t want you mad at me because I suffer from word vomit,” James said smiling nervously. He ran his hand though his hair and it stuck up even more. “I know how hard you work to get the grades you do. And it must be really hard learning this stuff blind! Merlin, I’m having trouble, and I can see!”

Isa laughed a little. I couldn’t help myself. “James,” Isa started.

“Please don’t be mad at me!” he pleaded with a slight whine in his voice.

“I forgive you for what you said,” Isa said. James smiled broadly. “But I—” Isa thought for a second. How could I tell him without totally hurting him? James’ smile fell off his face when he realized that she wasn’t done talking.

Isa bit her lip awkwardly and she sighed. “What is it Isa?” James asked seriously. Isa could hear the anger and desperation in his seemingly dead voice. James reached for her hands, but as soon as they touched, Isa flinched away. “Isa?” he asked his voice barely there.

“I know you may not know whom to believe at this time,” she said finally. She could feel James’ gaze on her and she immediately felt self-conscious and guilty. “But Glennie really did lock me in that closet. And I think,” Isa took a deep breath, “I think as long as you’re with her, you should just—err—stay away from me.”

Isa ran her hand through her hair and looked away. She let out a slow breath and waited for James to say something. She slowly turned he head back to him. James turned away from her processing what she just said. He turned back at her studying her face and her grey eyes underneath long lashes.

“But I don’t want to stay away from you,” James finally said weakly.

“And that’s the problem,” Isa said looking down guiltily.

“I don’t see a problem,” James said angrily. Isa’s eyes snapped back up at the fierceness of his voice. “You’re one of my best friends. I can’t just not see you!” I felt happiness swell inside me and then slowly die.

I can’t.

Not while she’s around.

“No James. It’s that you’d rather spend time with me than her!” Isa said. “At the party, you kept saying that you wanted to hang out with me and pushing her away. Glennie is the jealous type.”

“What are you saying then? Are you breaking up with me?” James said with a joking tone. Not the time, James. Not the time.

“You really shouldn’t be making jokes right now,” Isa said. “What I’m saying is that as long as Glennie is around, I won’t be.” James looked away from Isa. He looked torn as he studied the floor and the uniform shoes the two of them were wearing.

“I have to choose,” James stated. Isa stood up and grabbed her bag. Anna saw her stand up and she ran over to them.

“Good luck James,” Isa said as Anna hooked their arms. Anna and Isa walked down the corridor away from James. He watched them go with a conflicted expression on his face.

This was a good decision. Ok not good, but better than being mad at him. I’m giving him an option. And I might be mad if he chooses Glennie. No I will be. Obviously.

But I think this will be better. Give him a chance to think about whom he wants in his life and who is replaceable. He can get any girl he wants, so Glennie could be replaced in a second. He has a huge loving group of friends. And he has four best friends who are girls, so it’s like he’s already replaced me.

Not replaced, I would just fade out. Everything would go back the way it was.

We would all forget about it.

One day they’ll see me on the street begging for a sickle, and they’ll remember me and take pity. And suddenly! Isa the hobo is one sickle richer.

I’m so dramatic at times that I roll my eyes at myself.

“So,” Anna said breaking Isa’s thoughts. They turned a corner and were greeted by the blinding snow that carpeted the castle grounds.

“As much as I’d love to believe that,” Dom said. “You’re full of shit and telling us what happened.”

“Fine,” Kate grumble pushing her bag further up on her shoulder.

Dom wrapped her in a bear hug and squeezed hard. “I love you Kate!” she exclaimed. Kate attempted to walk away, but tripped and fell bringing Dom down with her. Their friends laughed as they laid sprawled on the ground laughing.

The day continued on. Isa went to her classes with her various personal guides, and she tried to act as though nothing had happened to her. In Potions, she began working with Freddie instead of James, and James worked with Charlie.

Charlie and James spent a fair amount of the class whispering to each other and putting the wrong ingredients into their cauldron. Isa sat with her chin resting in her hand, and her mind completely ignoring anything that was happening around her.

“Isa?” Freddie said flicking her on the side of her head. She rubbed it and turned her attention away from her current daydream.

“What?” she said irritably. “Did our cauldron explode?”

“I think you would have noticed if our cauldron exploded,” Freddie said rolling his eyes and dropping three minced beetroots into the cauldron.

“Wait,” Isa said feeling for the vial. Barry stood up to attention and nudged the vial to Isa’s searching hand. “To get Anna back?” She located the vial that Barry had moved and dropped it into Freddie’s open palm.

“Obviously saying sorry won’t be enough,” Freddie said. Isa snorted. Seriously not enough. She loves her mum and you called her lazy and worthless. “I know what I said to her really was—bad. But I’m hoping I can make it up to her.”

“How?” Barry hopped up onto Isa’s shoulder and bounced up and down creating little dots of ink on her sweater. Isa reached to her shoulder with her hand, which Barry jumped into and began drawing all over. She put him back down on the table where he continued to draw on the table.

“Proving myself,” Freddie said simply. “Cut this into five pieces please.” He dropped a slimy caterpillar into Isa’s empty hand.

“Ugh,” she said sticking her tongue out. She let the caterpillar fall to the table and it landed with an unhealthy splat. Waving her wand around the caterpillar, it sliced itself up. “Now how are you proving yourself to her? What do I have to do with this?”

Freddie sighed. “I don’t know. That’s why I need your help. Drop two in, wait three seconds, then drop three in, wait 10 seconds, then I’ll stir.” Isa nodded as she picked up two pieces. “Will you help me?”

“With the plan? Sure, but I don’t understand why you can’t go to the girls she’s been friends with longer,” Isa said letting the slimy pieces slide from her hand. They landed in the potion and it turned a deep purple. Two seconds later, she dropped the remaining pieces in.

“According to them, you are the person Anna goes to to complain about me,” Freddie said. He stirred the potion quietly.

“Yes, I suppose she does,” Isa said spinning on her stool.

“I mean, Anna did ask if we could try to be friends. So that’s good right?” Freddie said looking at Isa hopefully.

“Well I’m glad she did that finally. I told her to do that like a week ago,” Isa said immediately regretting it. Freddie’s face fell.

“You asked her to do that?” he asked sounding crestfallen.

“I suggested it. I didn’t force her to do anything. She was feeling bad about it and I just thought she might feel better if you and her didn’t completely ignore each other,” Isa shrugged. “Personally I think she will never stop loving you, and right now she just needs to cool down.”

“What do you mean?” Freddie asked his voice sounding more hopeful. He sat down on the stool next to Isa. The purple potion bubbled happily in front of them. What do you think I mean? That she’s getting married to a circus ringleader? No.

“I mean she’ll forgive you.”

“Really?” Freddie asked happily.

“Yep,” Isa said popping the ‘p’. “But give her time. And during her time away from you, just act how you normally would. She didn’t fall for this gentleman you’re trying to be.” Freddie’s mouth quirked up into a smile.

“So there’s hope,” he said.

“I want you guys together. You two were too cute to break up for good,” Isa said. It’s true. They made me want to puke rainbows.

“Thank Isa,” Freddie said sounding very sincere. “So I don’t need a plan?”

“The plan is to be yourself and make her forgive you,” Isa said. “Thanks it.”

“Simple. I like it. No need to call the Meddlers,” Freddie said. Isa nodded. “Although we may need to call a meeting to deal with a different girlfriend.” Freddie and Isa grinned.

“I do believe you’re right,” Isa said smiling.

****

“What are we doing?” Isa asked quietly as she, Polly, and Anna rounded the corner.

“Snooping,” Polly whispered. “So shut it.”

“Why are we snooping?” Isa asked. Polly rolled her eyes. They ducked behind a statue and peered over the top looking out for teachers or prefects.

“Kate snuck out,” Anna said. Oh yes. Kate disappeared. Like Dom, she has been sneaking out with no explanation since the party about a week ago, but we’re starting to assume it’s the same reason as it was for Dom. Just—you know—different boy.

Dom would have come except for the fact that she wanted to go snog her secret boyfriend. Go snog him, see if we care.

“How do we know she’s not sneaking out to go eat? We don’t know she’s having some steamy love affair with a Ravenclaw,” Isa said standing up from behind the statue.

“No we don’t know. But since the party, everything has changed with her,” Anna said. “She’s quieter and angrier all the time.”

“She and Charlie used to be inseparable, and now they can’t be near each other without trying to verbally abuse the other,” Polly said. “And—”

“She’s sneaking out,” Isa said starting to walk down the corridor. “I get it. Did you ever think she’s doing her rounds?”

“Wait come back here!” Polly whisper shouted.

“Did you not know that they don’t care if I walk around after hours?” Isa said swinging her arms and skipping down the corridor. Polly and Anna exchanged looks and ran after Isa. “If someone sees us, just say that I got lost and you’re helping me back to the common room.”

“Yes actually,” Anna perked up at once. “I believe that she is in a constant state of inebriation causing her to behave with the recklessness of a Weasley with a beater’s bat.”

Isa stumbled over her feet, but straightened herself out. She clutched onto Polly’s shoulder for balance and said, “So what you’re saying is—”

“She’s drunk,” Anna said nodding. “Always.” Polly slapped Anna on the head and shook hers with disapproval.

“You’re mental. She’s not drunk. When was the last time she was drunk?” Polly asked.

“The party,” Isa said. “I’d say she was pretty pissed that night.”

“Wait,” Anna said hushed. “Do you hear that?” Yes unfortunately now that you pointed it out I can hear the sloppy, moaning noises of two people snogging. Or shagging. Either way I don’t want to hear more.

“Maybe it’s Kate,” Polly whispered.

“Maybe it’s two random people we don’t know,” Isa said. Anna shot her a look.

“Don’t be so pessimistic,” Anna said as she crept towards the door.

“I’m not being pessimistic,” Isa said reluctantly following Polly’s movement. “I’m just saying that there are probably more than one couple out snogging in cupboards tonight.”

“If it is then we have blackmail, now come on,” Polly said moving closer with Anna. They tip toed closer to the closet. The noises coming from behind the closed door became more evident and obvious the closer they came.

Anna reached for the handle and threw open the door. The two people inside jumped apart and hurriedly smoothed their hair and fixed their clothing. “Who’s in there?” Anna asked loudly.

“Dammit Anna!”

“Oh hey Dom!” Anna chirped happily. Dom scowled and stepped out of the cupboard with Lysander in tow behind her. She finished re-buttoning her shirt and glared at her roommates.

“Why?” Dom asked simply with her hands on her hips. “I just want to know why.”

“We thought you were Kate,” Polly said. Anna shuffled her feet guiltily and Polly mirrored Dom and didn’t back down under her intense gaze.

“Correction,” Isa said pinching Polly’s arm. Polly snapped out of her stare down with Dom and rubbed her arm. “You two thought it was Kate. I thought it was a bad idea to open the door because it could have been two random people.”

“I knew I always liked you for a reason,” Dom said hugging Isa around her neck. Isa sniffed and made a face.

“You smell,” Isa said. Dom blushed and pushed away. “Do people really get this smelly when they get all hot and bothered?”

“Isa!” Polly exclaimed. Dom slapped Isa on the arm, but she was smiling.

“Shut it,” Dom said playfully. Lysander coughed from behind her and ran his hand through his messy sand coloured hair. He looked nervously at the ground when they all turned to him.

“Lysander!” Anna said happily. She bounced over to him and hugged him tightly taking him by surprise.

“Nice to see you again Anna,” Lysander said awkwardly patting her on the back.

“When are you two going public?” Polly asked impatiently glaring at Lysander and then at Dom.

“Nice to see you too Polly,” Lysander said. “Er—” he glanced at Isa.

“Oh this is Isa,” Dom said clutching Isa’s arm. “She’s the fifth roommate. I’ve told you about her, yea?”

“But your mum and dad are more of a harmless mental,” Polly said striding around Lysander looking at him as though giving an inspection. “Not the crazy batshit mental that exists in Glennie.”

“Speaking of roommates,” Isa said thoughtfully. “Kate?”

“Oh yes!” Anna said jolting back to her senses. “We need to find her. Not to discover where she’s been sneaking off to, but the poor girl needs someone to talk to.”

“It’s true,” Dom said moving back to Lysander. He wrapped an arm around her and she snuggled into his chest. “I’m worried about her. It’s not healthy.” Lysander placed a reassuring kiss on top of Dom’s head and Dom smiled and visibly relaxed.

“Yea you look super worried,” Polly said dryly. “I think you determined that Kate was in fact not in that cupboard.” Anna snorted as Dom glared at Polly. Polly shrugged and smiled at Dom.

“Well are we going to keep snooping?” Isa asked. “I’m actually quite tired, and would like us to track her down and interrogate her before next week.”

“Have you checked the Room of Requirement?” Dom asked. Shit. No we haven’t. And we didn’t even think of that. We had the middle of the forbidden forest and the school trophy room on the list of places to check, but not the room where people go to hide.

This actually doesn’t surprise me. We can be kind of dim when Kate isn’t there to use her common sense or logic to keep us in check.

“You haven’t had you?” Dom said with an amused smile when they didn’t respond. Dom glanced at each of their nervous and guilty faces before unwinding her arm from around Lysander’s waist and lacing her fingers with his.

Anna hugged the sweater around her trying in vain to block out the cold of the corridor. “Sorry,” she said exasperatedly.

“We’ll go check there now,” Isa said shuffling her feet and sticking her hands in her pockets.

“Well I’m going back to the common room,” Dom said. “There’s a possibility that she’s gone back.” Dom shrugged. She waved bye to her roommates and pulled Lysander down the hallway. Lysander turned back to them and managed a half wave before he was pulled around the corner and out of sight.

Polly, Anna, and Isa watched them go, and soon after they disappeared they set down the hallway.

“Lysander’s nice,” Isa said thoughtfully. Anna hooked their arms and they continued down the dark, cold corridor.

“Have you not met him before?” Polly asked sticking her hands in her pockets.

I did one time. We were twelve and I was being teased by some seventh year Slytherins. Loser, they called me. Loner, they teased. “Look at the blind freak!” one girl said. “All alone in the world,” she said with fake sympathy dripping from her voice.

Lysander had come to my rescue. He came right up to me and began elaborately describing his father’s research about korkspurts, a cousin of wrackspurts. He stopped briefly then calmly told the surrounding people that they were interrupting a conversation he was having with one of his friends.

They grumbled under their breath, and soon lost interest.

Once they all left, Lysander introduced himself, said, “see ya around sport,” and then disappeared.

“Once,” Isa said. “Second year.”

“Hm,” Anna said. “Been quite a while then, eh?”

Isa nodded. “Yea I guess so.”

They walked in silence; the only sound to be heard was the soft sounds of their footsteps and the snoring of portraits they passed. They passed by an empty Great Hall. The tables were spotless and the house points shone in the moonlight. Gryffindor was in second place, behind Ravenclaw. Slytherin sat sadly in last place, far behind Hufflepuff.

“I don’t hear anybody,” Anna whispered. Polly nodded in agreement, and walked closer on the other side of Isa. She clutched on her room and looked skeptically around the shadowy castle.

“It is oddly quiet,” Isa said. “Long day for everybody.”

“I hope you’re right,” Anna mumbled grimly.

A door creaked open behind them; the light flooded the corridor they were in. Anna reacted quickly and pulled a startled Polly and Isa behind a large sculpture of a hippogriff.

“What do you mean?” a voice harshly whispered.

“What do I mean?” someone replied angrily sounding as though they don’t believe what came out of the other person’s mouth. The someone replied with a high squeaky voice.

“I mean that she’s going to stay away from him, it’s not that hard to understand,” Glennie said. There were footsteps walking in the direction of the hippogriff. Anna, Polly and Isa moved quickly so that they were wedged between the wall and the hippogriff so they were still unseen.

I’m pretty sure Anna’s foot is in my face and my legs are wrapped around Polly, but, hey, at least they can’t see us.

“You can’t just do that,” the first voice said angrily. “And besides who says she’s going to do what you tell her to?”

“Glennie has a sister?” Isa asked. Poor soul. Must be awful being related to that troll. But for some odd reason, I feel like I know her voice. I just can’t think of where I’ve heard it.

“I’ll have you know,” Glennie said smugly crossing her arms over her chest, “that according to my darling James, Isa said she was going to stay away from him.”

“Isa wouldn’t do that!”

“You say that like you know her,” Glennie snapped.

“Maybe I do,” her sister replied hands on her hips. “What so wrong with that?”

Glennie stared incredulously at her. “Are you listening to yourself? She tried to steal my boyfriend.”

“They are friends Glennie! And from what I’ve heard they were pretty good friends. But no romantic feelings.”

Glennie stood up a little straighter at her sister’s words. “Say what you think, Cecilia.” Isa gasped. Cecilia! That’s how I know her voice. Merlin, Glennie’s sister was the one who opened the cupboard for me! Talk about ironic. Trapped by a Clara, saved by a Clara.

“I know her true intentions,” Glennie continued jabbing a finger into Cecilia’s chest. “She wanted him all to herself. And you know what, she’s not the only one. His ‘friends’ Polly, Anna, and Kate. They all do!” Glennie took a step closer to Cecilia, challenging her to step down. “They all need to be reminded that James is mine.”

“Glennie, they are friends!” Cecilia said exasperatedly. “How many times do I have to say it?”

“His females cousins too,” Glennie said her voice reaching the point of hysteria. “They’ll tell him how bad I am for him. Turn him against me.”

“Are you mental?” Cecilia asked.

“I can’t have them poisoning his mind,” Glennie said ignoring Cecilia. She rubbed her hands together, either from the cold or from her evilly rotten brain.

“Why am I even asking that? Of course you’re mental,” Cecilia said throwing her hands up in defeat. “Glennie,” Cecilia said grabbing Glennie by the shoulders. She forced Glennie to look at her. “What are you going to do?”

“Nothing,” Glennie said innocently. “Not for a while anyways.” Glennie tore herself from her sister’s grip and skipped down the corridor. Cecilia ran a hand through her hair and sighed. She turned and followed her mental sister.

A few minutes past before Polly, Anna, or Isa dared to move. Eventually Polly rolled out from behind the statue.

“We need to get back to the common room,” she said quietly from her seat on the stone floor. Anna and Isa nodded quickly before coming out from behind. “Come on,” Polly said picking Isa up on her back. She began to sprint down the hallway with Anna closely following.

They made it up to the common room in record time. They ignored the sleepy glances of people in the common room and went straight up to their dormitory. Dom was walking lazily around the room. She was humming to herself and wearing a long shirt that said ‘Ravenclaw’ and had a big raven on the front.

“Hi,” she said when she saw them enter the room. “Kate’s here.” She pointed to Kate’s bed and there sat Kate with a book open on her lap. She looked up curiously.

“Glennie’s out to get us,” Anna said breathlessly. “All of us.”

“What?” Kate said with a hint of doubt in her voice. Polly set Isa down on the ground and then hunched over trying to catch her breath.

“We just overheard her talking to her sister, she’s actually planning a way to get rid of us,” Polly said placing her hands on her knees and breathing heavily.

“Incidentally,” Isa said a little flushed from the cold air that had been rushing past her, “her sister, Cecilia? Yea, she was the one who opened the door for me.”

“What?” Anna asked. “The sister of the devil was the one who saved you?” Isa nodded.

“Wait,” Kate said closing her book and standing up. “So you overheard Glennie talking to her sister about getting rid of us?”